wellness for nerds
Science-backed wellness for high performers, hosted by Dr Rebecca Chabot and David Masterton. They translate real research on stress, busyness, habits and performance into practical tools. Expect honest stories, occasional dad jokes, and zero guru-speak. Aimed at business owners, knowledge workers, scientists, and parents. Recorded in Tasmania, with new video episodes weekly.
Episodes
Netflix Isn't Recovery (You're Just Soothing) | E7
You scrolled through your lunch break. You watched two hours of Netflix to switch off. Neuroscientists say that isn't recovery, it's just soothing, because your brain is still being stimulated the whole way through. This episode is the practical follow-on to last week: what real recovery actually looks like, especially at work.Rebecca explains why workplace culture starts at the top, and t
Why Burnout Is a Prevention Problem | E6
Burnout is a real clinical diagnosis, and it builds quietly over months or years before it ever announces itself. By the time you feel it, the cleanup is expensive. So this episode is about prevention, the same way you'd prevent a cyberattack.Fresh off Hobart's CyberCon, Rebecca draws the parallel: organisations invest in cyber prevention because reacting after an incident costs data, mone
There Is No One Authentic Self | E5
"Fake it till you make it" gets one thing wrong: new behaviour feels fake because it's unfamiliar, not because it's inauthentic. That awkwardness when you try something new isn't fraudulence, it's neuroplasticity doing its job.Following on from last week's identity episode, Rebecca challenges the idea that there's one authentic self you're supposed to find, an
Strong Identity, Loosely Held | E4
Your identity protects you, until it starts breaking you. Fresh off her TEDx Hobart talk "Strong Identity Loosely Held", Dr Rebecca Chabot unpacks why a rigid identity keeps your nervous system in permanent defense, and what it costs you.David brings the stranded-island test (who are you without the job, the possessions, the star sign?) and the uncomfortable truth that the old identity h
Why You're Always "Busy" (and How to Stop) | E3
"Busy" has become a handshake: a badge of honour that hides what we actually feel. Problem is, your brain is listening every time you say it.This week we pick apart the busyness script: why "how are you?" "busy!" is really a social dance, why Rebecca made a conscious decision years ago to never answer with "busy", and what the research says about language li
What Chronic Stress Does to Your Brain | E2
Chronic stress takes your brain's decision-maker offline, turns everything into a crisis, and fogs your memory. This week we get into what's actually happening in your head, and the trainable skill that reverses it.Rebecca breaks down the difference between acute and chronic stress and what an always-on nervous system does to the prefrontal cortex (decisions), amygdala (reactivity) and hip
Science-Backed Wellness, No Woo Required | E1
A PhD scientist and a recovering corporate high performer walk into a podcast. Welcome to Wellness for Nerds: real science, honest stories, zero woo.In episode one we introduce ourselves properly: how a panel about performing at a high level without losing your peace turned into this show; Rebecca's path from biochemistry to a PhD in ecology to translating science for the rest of us; David'
